Bjorn?

lelekay · January 2011

My cousin is selling her Bjorn for $40. Do you think it's worth it? Henry loves being in the Ergo, but he wants to face out a lot. I'd been thinking of a Bjorn or some other carrier that faces out, and then my cousin offered this. Does anyone have one? Do you use it to face bebbeh out? Do you think $40 would be worth it to try facing him out?

MrsZiz · January 2011

The bjorn is said to be the worst one for babies hips. Because of that, I've never even tried it. I have an ergo, babyhawk and a moby. I use the ergo the most and haven't used the babyhawk or moby since I got the ergo, I love it that much. I imagine with the new baby coming I'll be using the moby and ergo and selling the babyhawk.

KShiz · January 2011

We used a bjorn and E loved it. I think they retail for about $80 plus, so $40 might be worth it. We would keep it in the bottom of the stroller on walks and if she started getting fussy in the stroller, we'd put her in the Bjorn and she just had a blast checking things out from a different perspective.

Personally, I don't buy the "Bjorn is Bad" argument for a couple different reasons. First, it's one of those things that I constantly hear repeated only on TB (similar to the "no nutritional value rice cereal), just because it keep getting repeated on the internet, doesn't make it true.

Second, yes, the support is in the crotch, but there is also support with the tension between your babies body and your own, so it's not like they are dangling solely from a rope between their legs. If it causes strain and E became uncomfortable, she would have started fussing, but that never was the case.

Third, are you planning to have little H in it for hours on end? Probably not, so I doubt an hour a few times a week in a bjorn is going to negate all of the "hip development" that the other 165 hours are going to do.

If you think that Bjorns are bad and are more comfortable using a wrap, I totally respect that choice/opinion. My problem is when things start get repeated as fact vs. theory or preference.

MrsZiz · January 2011

KShiz:
Second, yes, the support is in the crotch, but there is also support with the tension between your babies body and your own, so it's not like they are dangling solely from a rope between their legs. If it causes strain and E became uncomfortable, she would have started fussing, but that never was the case.
Third, are you planning to have little H in it for hours on end? Probably not, so I doubt an hour a few times a week in a bjorn is going to negate all of the "hip development" that the other 165 hours are going to do.

I think they are bad for the hips based on ortho pedis that I work with and they highly recommend against them... my basis has nothing to do with the internet. I went to several baby wearing groups and some of the mommies had then and liked them but most of the kids did seem to dangle by the crotch. The ergo supports their hips/pelvis more.

I also did have Bella in carriers for HOURS on end! I'm talking when she was younger, she'd be in there for 10 hours a day when she was little from like 2 weeks old. The moby or the ergo is what she lived in to keep us all sane! SHe would fuss for hours on end and being in a carrier would console her and she would drift off. The dr said it was that she needed to be upright and held tight so it worked out for us. Like K said though, if you plan on having him in it for an hour a few times a week then it's not likely a big deal.

mrs.winter · January 2011

lelekay:
My cousin is selling her Bjorn for $40. Do you think it's worth it? Henry loves being in the Ergo, but he wants to face out a lot. I'd been thinking of a Bjorn or some other carrier that faces out, and then my cousin offered this. Does anyone have one? Do you use it to face bebbeh out? Do you think $40 would be worth it to try facing him out?

I used one with Ashton as he preferred to face outward...I couldn't use the Bjorn after ashton got bigger as it hurt my back...just something to consider. We still use the ergo though.

KShiz · January 2011

MrsZiz:
KShiz:
Second, yes, the support is in the crotch, but there is also support with the tension between your babies body and your own, so it's not like they are dangling solely from a rope between their legs. If it causes strain and E became uncomfortable, she would have started fussing, but that never was the case.
Third, are you planning to have little H in it for hours on end? Probably not, so I doubt an hour a few times a week in a bjorn is going to negate all of the "hip development" that the other 165 hours are going to do.
I think they are bad for the hips based on ortho pedis that I work with and they highly recommend against them... my basis has nothing to do with the internet. I went to several baby wearing groups and some of the mommies had then and liked them but most of the kids did seem to dangle by the crotch. The ergo supports their hips/pelvis more.
I also did have Bella in carriers for HOURS on end! I'm talking when she was younger, she'd be in there for 10 hours a day when she was little from like 2 weeks old. The moby or the ergo is what she lived in to keep us all sane! SHe would fuss for hours on end and being in a carrier would console her and she would drift off. The dr said it was that she needed to be upright and held tight so it worked out for us. Like K said though, if you plan on having him in it for an hour a few times a week then it's not likely a big deal.

Although you might have had an actual conversation w/ a specialist, I still don't think it's the case a majority of the time (meaning getting info from a specialist vs. off the internets). Sorry if I made an incorrect assumption.

I don't doubt that a wrap was a great for you and your family, I just don't think a Bjorn is one more thing moms need to add to their "scary" list.

mrspresley · January 2011

I had read on diaperswappers as well that the Bjorns aren't good for their hips but like Kristen said I can't say that I have ever read any scientific proof of that and can't find anything on pub med about it. I agree that you should try to validate things before just believing what everyone says about something...i think it says something that an orthopod discouraged use of it but i also know there are some doctors that say it's ok for limited use

that said, i think it really depends on how often you plan to use it... i think for short periods is fine but i do not see how long periods of time dangling by the crotch could be comfy for the baby? also, i've seen multiple complaints from people that once baby hits double digits in weight, it really hurts your back. so i'd maybe try it on for 30 min and see what you think after that?

I also had someone tell me that on the box it says not to use it for more than 20 min at a time....not sure if that is for baby's sake or for your back? but i think that probably says something about the product....

consider other front facing carriers like the pikkolo or new beco if you really want one. just my 2 cents

lola808 · January 2011

I second Renee's comment re: a hurt back. There's no way I could carry A in the Bjorn for any extended period of time in the Bjorn any longer. It was good when he was too small for the Ergo (w/o the insert), but after that, the design just wasn't well suited for me. Thankfully A doesn't mind facing me in the Ergo -- it's almost better than he doesn't have a choice, b/c otherwise I know he'd rather face outward!

inamra · January 2011

Yeah, I heard first-hand from mothers I've talked to IRL that the bjorn hurts their backs. Another thing I heard was that the bjorn is not as good if you have baby boys since it's supported at the crotch. But I haven't used it first-hand so I can't tell you from personal experience. I suppose it shouldn't be a problem if you're just using it for short periods of baby-wearing, although I don't know how long is considered "short"--10min? 20min? 1hr?

MrsZiz · January 2011

mrspresley:
.i think it says something that an orthopod discouraged use of it but i also know there are some doctors that say it's ok for limited use
also, i've seen multiple complaints from people that once baby hits double digits in weight, it really hurts your back. so i'd maybe try it on for 30 min and see what you think after that?

I work with ortho pedis every day so it's nice that I have them to ask random questions, I've been on that unit for 2 yrs so many of them I've formed relationships with. I've also been able to ask them questions about Bella's hand without having to make an appt which is very convenient!

Have you tried the moby forward facing? I used it until Bella was about 22 lbs facing in and facing out. Honestly it hurt my back to have her facing out because she was always reaching for things which made her weight pull on my back, which was uncomfortable for me... but it might be worth a try if you have it! You can do hip carries with the moby too which Bella and I both liked.

I also have the babyhawk because I loved the tie style of the moby so much. The babyhawk is a great carrier BUT once I got the ergo, it blew the babyhawk out of the water. The babyhawk really hurt my back after wearing her for any longer than an hour. The ergo I can wear her in for a long period of time. I can still wear her on my back in the ergo and I'm almost 31 weeks pregnant! I'm too round in the front to wear her in the front The ergo can be worn as a hip carry too, have you tried that? Just some other options to think about.

eacerna · January 2011

i dont have any advice on bjorn but i just wanna say if you want a front facing carrier, you may wanna try Beco Gemini. i got one but havent used it front facing yet since DD is still too small. i got it from Heavenly Hold which has a 2 wk trial program. you can try it out for yourself for a couple of weeks and return if you dont like it.

SanHawaii08 · January 2011

also, if you decide you want a bjorn, i'm pretty sure you can get it for less than $40. I always see a zillion of them at JBF - seems like 80% of the carriers for sale there are bjorns...

lelekay · January 2011

Thanks, everyone, for the input. I think I'm going to pass. We do love our Ergo, I just thought we might try something new. But he's already about 20 pounds (an estimated weight based on our home scale.....we'll find out for certain next week at the pedi), so I'm not sure my back can handle him in it. If it were super-cheap (like maybe $15) I'd probably try it, but I'm not sure it's worth it.

Married2MrWright · January 2011

chiming in late...just wanted to say that you might try to the hip carry in the Ergo to give baby a different view:

https://videos.ergobaby.com/en-us/4-1hip-carry-position/

I have an Ergo and haven't tried the hip carry. We also have a Scootababy and have discovered that Libby's not really a "hip baby"...anytime I try to hold her on my hip she turns her body so that both arms are infront of mine and it's akward. So I am keeping the carrier for the next kiddo...perhaps he/she will enjoy it more. For now, we front carry about 90% of the time in the Ergo and backcarry the other 10%.

Like the other ladies, I feel that front facing while baby wearing is not ideal for baby or the wearer. There are many articles on this by experts in the field on why front-facing can have both physical and psychological ramifications. That said, many people do it and the Bjorn is still quite popular in the "mainstream" baby stores, etc.

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